Stem Cell Engineering Unit

The Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Division of Cell Biology and Division of Stem Cell Biology and Cellular Engineering, RWTH Aachen University Hospital operates a Stem Cell Engineering Unit for basic and translational research. The unit handles various types of stem cells types, with a focus on human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and embryonic stem cells (ES cells), mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). The mission of the unit is to also provide state-of-the-art protocols and training in isolation, propagation and directed differentiation of stem cells.

Patient and disease specific iPS cells are produced by reprogramming of a large array of somatic cells with Sendai virus or episomal plasmid vectors. iPS cells are propagated on MEF feeder or under feeder-free conditions with defined culture media. iPS cell production entails a detailed quality assessment of the cells obtained, including the phenotypic and molecular analysis of pluripotency markers, Epi-Pluri-Score and differentiation potential in vivo and in vitro. CRISPR/Cas technology is employed for generating stem cells with wanted properties.

The Stem Cell Engineering Unit cooperates with the StemCellFactory Consortium, a group of experts in engineering sciences and stem cell biology that develops an automatic production system for iPS cells.